One California worker dead, hundreds arrested, after cannabis farm raid

By Leah Douglas

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A California farmworker died connected Friday from injuries sustained a time earlier erstwhile U.S. migration agents raided a cannabis cognition and arrested hundreds of workers, according to a farmworker advocacy group.

Dozens of migrant-rights activists faced disconnected with national agents successful agrarian Southern California connected Thursday. It was the latest escalation of President Donald Trump's run for wide deportations of immigrants successful the U.S. illegally.

The Trump medication has made conflicting statements astir whether migration agents volition people the workplace labour workforce, astir fractional of which is unauthorized to enactment successful the U.S., according to authorities estimates.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said successful a connection that astir 200 radical successful the state illegally were arrested successful the raid, which targeted 2 locations of the cannabis cognition Glass House Farms.

Agents besides recovered 10 migrant minors astatine the farm, the connection said. The installation is nether probe for kid labour violations, said Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott successful a station connected X.

The institution did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

The country astatine the workplace connected Thursday was chaotic, with national agents wearing helmets and look masks utilizing teardrop state and fume cannisters connected aggravated protesters, according to photos and videos of the scene.

Several farmworkers were injured and 1 died connected Friday from injuries sustained aft a 30-foot autumn from a gathering during the raid, said Elizabeth Strater, nationalist vice president of the United Farm Workers.

U.S. citizens were detained during the raid and immoderate are inactive unaccounted for, Strater said.

Some national workers who were detained reported lone being released from custody aft deleting photos and videos of the raid from their phones, said UFW President Teresa Romero successful a statement.

"These convulsive and cruel national actions terrorize American communities, disrupt the American nutrient proviso chain, endanger lives and abstracted families," Romero said.

The DHS did not instantly respond to a petition to remark connected the group's statements.

Farm groups person warned that wide deportation of farmworkers would cripple the country's nutrient proviso chain.

In her astir caller comments, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said determination would beryllium "no amnesty" for farmworkers from deportation. Trump, though, has said migrant workers should beryllium permitted to enactment connected farms.

(Reporting by Leah Douglas successful Washington; Editing by David Gregorio)